The Ultimate Pinoy Escabeche Recipe

Cook Time

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 10 min

Ready in: 15 min

Yields: 4

It is one of those rare moments that you would see me cook but when I do cook, I do it with a great deal of passion and enthusiasm. I am a certified foodie and eating flavorful dishes for me transcends beyond a medium for physical survival but more of a good way for starting conversations and appreciating the bounty that surrounds us.

I'd like to share to you one of my all-time favorite Filipino dish--- Escabeche. This is a dish I absolutely love to eat ever since I was a kid because I always have this fondness for anything sweet and sour and it just doesn't fail to keep my taste buds busy. Most of the dishes here in the Philippines are vestiges of the Spanish and Chinese centuries' of influence in our very colorful history.

Escabeche is very prominent in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries and its former colonies. This is usually tweaked to cater to the varying tastes of the country but one thing they all share in common is that they use mostly poached or fried fish, generously topped with sweet and sour sauce.

So hear is the recipe for Escabeche. Enjoy!

You can also find other delicious recipes from this popular recipe book that has become a staple in Filipino kitchens since the 50s:

Ingredients

1 big fish like Lapu-Lapu (Rock Cods), or any 4 white-fleshed fishes

1 cup cooking oil

1 cup water

1 medium-sized onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips

1 tbsp ginger, sliced into strips

1 tbsp salt

3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup water

1 cup vinegar

Procedures

Clean the fish thoroughly and coat with salt.

Using a frying pan, heat cooking oil in medium heat.

Fry the fish until it turns golden brown on each side. Set aside on a serving platter.

For the sweet and sour sauce, mix sugar, salt and vinegar and blend well.

Add cornstarch and water until the sauce thickens moderately. Set aside.

On a frying pan, sauté onion, ginger and garlic.

Add the bell peppers until well-cooked.

Place these vegetable mixtures on top of the fish.

Pour the sweet and sour sauce on top of the vegetable mixture

Serve immediately.

That was pretty easy, right? I hope you like this recipe as much as I did. In other countries, Escabeche is marinated and refrigerated for 24 hours and served cold but here in the Philippines, we cook and serve them hot with rice. It really depends on what works for you, really. Be creative and you'll surely nail this delicious sweet and sour dish. Let me know what you think.